The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-09-03
blows-horsemen skurry here and


 The Persian soldiers place ladders against the walls and attempt to scale them, but the Babylonians cast down heavy stones and pour melted lead on the heads of the besiegers. Suddenly wild shout of victory rings out, and BelshazZar and his retinue, with horses at full gallop, come rushing to the rescue of his beleaguered capital. At the same moment the gates fly open and armed meI pour out. The king's men cut through the Persian forces, and joining the beseiged army, soon put Cyrus troops to rout.
 A moments intermission, and sud- denly the walls roll back like folding doors, and there appears the city of Babylon, with it's gleaming palaces, hanging gardens, splendid temples and golden idols-a scene of dazzling beauty impossible to describe. The magnificent palace of Nabonades in the center extends, apparently, along the river for miles, while at the left is the huge Tower of Babel and the Tenn pie of Belus, with the resplendent golden statue of Baal crowning its summit. Lights flash, statuary gleam until the eye is daZzled and bewildered with the brilliant display. We see the populace upon the housetops, promenading along the streets or en- gagged in traffic at the shops, and we seem carried back nearly three thou sand years to the days when Babylon was mighty city-mistress of the east.
 A Hebrew wedding procession slowly enters, then a company of Chaldean priests appear, while simnl- taneously the priests of Belus come out of the temple bearing idols, and forming at the front of the stage, rend the air with their songs over Belshaz- zar's victory.
 To exquisite music company of dancing girls come tripping from the palace, bearing tambourines and palms, and go forth to meet the king, while the ladies of the court appear upon the balconies of the palace.
 Multitudes, cheering and dancing, pour upon the stage, through which rides victorious procession, soldiers
 in dazzling armor, chariots drawn
 by prancing horses, elephants in gor- geous trappings, dancing girls in beau-
 tiful robes, and captives bareheaded and barefooted, with hands pinioned
 behind them. In the midst rides Bel shazzar in golden chariot wreathed
 with roses. More than thousand
 persons are in the procession, which
 is over a mile in length and takes
 nearly half an hour to pass the grand
 stand, where sit the enthralled specta-
 tors.
 As the grand pageant proceeds, sec-
 tions of soldiers and dancing girls
 form crosses, stars, circles, triangles and squares, bewildering the eye with
 their intricate movements and brilliant l costumes.
 I Then the great multitude appear upon the stage and Belshazzar comes Eforth and blesses them. A series of
 comic and grotesque dances and games
 follow; barges come floating up the
 river bearing cages of wild animals, around which the people dance and shout, and go reeling through the streets with glad songs of victory. Down to the dark waters of the !, river are the Hebrew captives, and ) through the mad revelry heard amid , the wild shouts of victory are their lamentations, "By the rivers of Baby lon there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion, we hung our harps on the willows in the midst l thereof" Great crimson curtains, !. which have concealed part of the center of the scene, suddenly disap-
 pear, and the interior of the palace and the splendid feast of Belshazzar , are revealed. The dancing girls come pouring out, they fill the entire front of the stage, forming a line of over l three hundred feet-hands, head and feet moving together in graceful rhyth mic movements-while pyramids oi l waving palms, and glittering costumes ' are formed in the background. The , perfect movements, the wonderful l combinations and exquisite dancing ) call forth thunders of applause from l the delighted spectators. Suddenly, in the midst of the mad revelry, as l the king and his favorites press to their lips the sacred vessels stolen . from the temple at Jerusalem, the brilliant lights grow dim, and in let
 ters of fire there appears upon the , wall of the banqueting hall the mys- } terious writing, "Meae, mene, teke, 7 upharsia."
 The weird, supernatural light, the , ominous letters of fire, the fright and 9 terror of the multitude, make thrill ! ing and impressive tableau. Belshaz- s gar calls for the prophet Daniel, who . explains the mysterious sentence, but
 the king turns from him in scorn and S bids the revelries go on. Suddenly 7 there is a great alarm, shrieks and ] shouts, the rush of the multitude e the flashing of red liuhts-Cvrus ho